Smalling and Blind were pretty good together.
So, how about that Varane + Martinez partnership?
- Thread starter TsuWave
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I don’t think there’s any debate that this is our best CB partnership since Lindelof + Maguire.
True enough
No one can ever accuse Maguire of not pushing and pulling people around.
Varane has been comfortably better for me.
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Rolls Royce Varane
Haha, never!
But yes, the point they made last night was interesting and worth sharing. I guess Vidic brought the same to Rio's more silky game so he would know.
They have done very well against opponents where they should be doing well. The real test will come on Sunday. Arsenal have been brilliant going forward this season.
Vardy tested him in the 1st half with that shoulder to shoulder, barely moved him and noticed Martinez reacted like he wasn't even there.
At that moment, he knew it was lost. I don't think we saw Vardy in the game again after that.
Can we hand martinez the captain armband already, he epitomises the leadership and character qualities on the pitch that Maguire completely lacks, it is literally night and day
I love Varane but there is no way he can stay fit all season long.
And once varane has a spell on the sidelines again and we have to put up with Maguire causing chaos on our defense again the so called expert pundits will use martinez and his height as the scape goat again.
Varane probably phoned in sick last season whenever he saw he was partnered with Harry. Now he's having fun again and his injuries will be fewer.
Or Varane considered it too much of a risk to play close to Maguire. Last season Maguire headed Ronaldo, was throwing Shaw around and kicked Pogba in the head... Varane didnt want to take the risk playing next to him.
Good point, he forgot to have hazard pay written into his contract.
People keep saying this and yes he had a poor injury record last season but the three seasons before that he played 31, 32, and 32 league games for Real. I'd like to think last season was an anomaly rather than the new normal.
His injury record prior to last season isn't poor: https://www.transfermarkt.com/raphael-varane/verletzungen/spieler/164770/plus/1
From the off he's been ordering others around and getting them worked up, he's proper captain material that lad.
They seem to compliment each other perfectly. Martinez is strong and aggressive and Varane is always in the right position. Big bonus is both of them are comfortable playing out from the back. Early days but the signs are positive.
Lets hope so
Aggressiveness + composure is the key to solid defending IMHO. Varane and Martinez both exemplify this standard at a high level. Varane’s composure is world class (it might be the best I’ve ever seen) but Martinez’s is much much higher than I thought before he came. Martinez is obviously aggressive as hell but Varane is also surprisingly aggressive due to his positioning. I would never have thought they would pair so perfectly but they truly seem to suit each other…
Certainly not his teammates who are regularly pushed, shoved and pulled to the ground by him. Sometimes just barged into.
Varane ane Martinez compliment each other brilliantly thus far. It can and most likely will also evolve into something even better. Looking good!
We need to wrap varane in cotton wool and carefully choose his matches, just use him in league matches, if we can get 30 - 32 league matches out of him then I will be confident of top 4
Our best since Rio+Vidic.
You make it sound like he's made out of glass. He's played over an average of 40 games a season since 2014 until he started playing for us.
If Varane can stay fit his partnership with Martinez could be the bedrock to ETH's way of playing. It reminds me of Ferdinand who was a brilliant reader of the game alongside Vidic who was a no-nonsense tough centre back. My worry is we don't have similar replacements if either get injured.
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It has the makings of a formidable defense; they compliment each other really well. The prospect of either of them getting injured and replaced with Maguire is terrifying
Really hope Licha isn't injured, you could instantly see the drop and the nervousness when Harry came on
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And also inevitable.
Eh, Jesus mangled both of them today.
They were under the cosh for a good 40-50 minutes of the game to an excellent Arsenal but only conceded 1. It gives me even more confidence actually.
Eh?
Are people forgetting Luke Shaw on this thread. Malacia is another huge reason why we have won four games in row and only conceded two goals. I hope I never have to witness Shaw and Maguire been starters for Manchester United ever ever again. Amen.
Mangled them while only getting 2 off target shots away in 90 miutes. Don't get me wrong, I think Jesus played very well today, but the way Varane and Martinez marshalled him was lightyears ahead of anything we've seen since Rio and Vidic at United.
Neville said he can't understand what's changed since Brentford but for me, these two are the single biggest factor. The improvement of lads like Dalot and McTominay are testament to Ten Hag's coaching and the systems in place, but good Premier League teams are built on top quality centre back pairings and the understanding, composure and controlled aggression of these two as a partnership has been immense. Every other improvement we've seen has been built around that foundation.
Based on what?
He fought well but didn't have a shot or any chances.